


my lungs are opening for the first time (ever since i met you)

by jaesungs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (you'll see), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Sad, i don't know what this is really, i wrote this in one hour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:31:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaesungs/pseuds/jaesungs
Summary: lee jeno is the clumsy teenager who stumbles into the drug store where jaemin works every day. he has a terrible tendency to break whatever he touches—na jaemin’s heart included.





	my lungs are opening for the first time (ever since i met you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [galaxyjaemin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxyjaemin/gifts).



> for vi, who betas most if not all my fics before they go up. thank you for everything. i'd be nothing without you.

lee jeno _is_ clumsy. he stumbled his way into the store the first time he came. in fact, jeno stumbled practically every time jaemin saw him. except when he was walking away from jaemin for the last time. he didn’t trip once, and jaemin thinks it was intentional.

see, jeno is a lot of things. he’s funny in his own way and he’s sweet. he’s shy around strangers and dances when he thinks nobody is watching. more importantly, jeno is an anomaly. even after two months of soft kisses on his front porch and several shared strawberry milkshakes, jeno remains a mystery to jaemin.

but, he’s clumsy after all. the first thing jaemin said to him was, “you break it you buy it,” all while reading some lame gossip magazine he picked up from the rack by his counter. jeno yelled back that he was fine before jaemin heard a crash from the corner of the room.

he doesn’t know the story about why jeno came to the store that day, never heard it even after dozens of dates and midnight conversations. he doesn’t remember asking or even growing curious because jeno had stories by the thousands, enough to talk for days. jaemin was willing to listen for two lifetimes.

boredom was the reason he talked to jeno as the older was checking out that first night. he wanted to know why jeno needed four cans of red bull and jeno simply stated, “because,” with a shrug. jeno paid in coins that night, which jaemin cursed at him for, because fuckin _coins_. 

he can’t remember why or how they started talking or when, but one day something clicked and they talked for hours, ignoring that jeno left his car running and jaemin was supposed to be watching the store. it didn’t matter then because they were so involved in each other.

that’s how most of it went, when jaemin looks back. they were so in their own world that they disregarded the outside world for each other. it wasn’t toxic, but it did happen, admittedly.

he remembers the first kiss. jaemin was in the middle of telling jeno about a customer that pissed him off when jeno leaned in and kissed him. he pulled away ten seconds later, all blushy and red. jaemin practically cooed.

they kissed a lot after that. when they weren’t talking or eating, they were kissing. jaemin was addicted and jeno was happy to do so. 

jaemin remembers those good things first because they hurt the most. when he looks at the front doors of the store, he can’t help but imagine jeno walking through in his cat pajama pants and cardigan over a tank top that did not match at all. 

jaemin loved—loves—jeno’s scent. vanilla and mint, lemon, chocolate pie. he was so many things, so many beautiful things. probably still is when jaemin thinks about it. and, jeno’s smile and his eyes and his laugh. jaemin loves it all.

and jeno broke something every time he came to the store. he broke a vase, a glass bottle of sprite, kids toys, and even makeup. (those are just a few jaemin can remember off the top of his head.) 

but, jaemin never imagined the day jeno would come in and break his heart. jaemin was working the early morning shift (7-10am) with someone else who worked in the back. jaemin was doing what he did best, which was sit at the counter and read. jeno came in half past 8 and teetered around like he usually did. and, then he did something unusual. he came to the counter with no red bull, just a frown on his face.

jaemin asked what was wrong, and jeno told him the truth.

_“i can’t date you anymore.”_

he barely comprehended jeno’s words. he asked why. jeno is a lot of things, but he isn’t someone who walks around the point. he’s blunt when he wants. too much so, if you ask some people.

_“i’m engaged.”_

_“oh.”_

jaemin didn’t ask anymore questions after that because he was trying to keep from crying. jeno smiled at him sadly. jaemin wanted to understand why jeno would lead him on, why he wouldn’t tell him from the start.

_“i was supposed to break it off with her, but her parents are people who can ruin my life. i’m sorry, nana. i am. i love you.”_

it wasn’t good enough and jaemin told him so vehemently, tears forming in his eyes. jeno nodded and left, walking like he was sober for once in his goddamn life.

jaemin did some research, some asking around and learned that jeno left his car running because he had a driver. he paid in coins because he could. jeno is _lee jeno_ , son of the billionaire _lee jinsoo_ who owns one of the best selling phone companies in hundreds of countries. and, jeno is engaged to _park hana_ , socialite whose father also happens to be attempting to close a business deal with jeno’s.

and, jaemin is _na jaemin_ , worker at a drugstore and uni student trying to make ends meet.

today is also the day of jeno’s wedding which is being broadcasted on air by several networks. the hype surrounding the impending wedding is so insane that jaemin was stuck between watching to torture himself and not watching to read about it later in the magazines.

he chooses the former option because he wants to see how jeno really is. if the jeno he shows the world is the one he showed jaemin for three months. jaemin has to know.

he has their shitty little television turned to the network that includes all the pre-wedding rituals. hana is beautiful and jaemin munches on his popcorn bitterly when he watches her twirl in her beautiful, lacy white wedding dress.

the scene cuts to jeno in a tux and jaemin’s breath hitches. it hits him that he’s going to be watching jeno get married. he doesn’t know how it came to this point, but it makes him nauseous.

they’re an hour in of the around four hour special, close to the ceremony. jaemin ate all his popcorn and it’s taking everything in him not to cry. 

two hours in, jeno is standing at the altar. he doesn’t look happy, looks rather sad if you ask jaemin. hana is walking down the aisle. and, then she’s standing in front of jeno. and, then jeno is shaking his head. and, then jeno is walking to the camera and saying, “nana. i’m coming for you.”

jaemin doesn’t have time to process what just happened, including the five minutes it takes jeno to come whizzing into the store, tux still on, slamming into the new display of laundry detergent.

jaemin is sitting at his counter at a loss for words. he settles on, “if you break it you buy it.”

“does that include your heart?” jeno asks, raising his eyebrow. he adjusts his tux.

“you left your wedding.”

“for you.”

“do you know how crazy you sound, jeno? your fucking wedding!” jaemin jumps up off his stool. “what the fuck?”

“i don’t love her.” jeno walks toward him cautiously. “i never have.”

“you don’t mean that. you’re just telling me what i want to hear.” jaemin shakes his head. he steps back away from jeno, eyeing his beautiful tux with a flower in the front pocket.

“no,” jeno says, “i’m telling you the truth. you know me, nana. you know i'm not lying.”

he’s not. when jeno lies, he licks his lips twice and looks up once. “you’re not,” jaemin breathes out.

“i’m sorry. i didn’t have a choice. my dad...everything. it got so complicated, but with you it was so easy.”

“you lied to me.” jaemin swallows hard. “you fucking lied.”

“i know. there is nothing in the world that can make up for that, i know. but, i know you love me, jaemin, and i love you too. the real you. the you that can somehow understand that it was an arranged marriage. a business deal for dad’s company.” jeno is exasperated, eyes wide and red from crying, jaemin assumes.

“really?”

“really. it falls through if i don’t marry her. i suspect it’s all over the news right now.”

“why’d you leave?” jaemin raises an eyebrow.

“because i thought i could live my life with her, just tolerate her. but i can’t, not after you. you left your mark on me, na jaemin. i’ll never be the same.”

jaemin nods. “okay.”

“okay?” jeno is close to him now, so close they could kiss.

“you broke my heart,” jaemin says.

“i know,” jeno leans in, but doesn’t connect their lips because that’s jaemin’s job. “i’ll spend every dime i have left trying to make it up to you.”

“don’t waste your money, jeno. just kiss me back.” jaemin kisses jeno, hard and smiles internally. maybe jeno can buy every item he breaks, but he doesn’t need to use his money on jaemin’s heart. it’s complete with him there. so complete.

they break apart, jaemin pulling away first. “what about your dad?”

“what about him?”

“won’t he be mad?”

jeno grins. “oh, he’s pissed.”

“what are you going to do?”

“are you looking for a roommate?”

“not with someone like you who will burn water.” jaemin smiles. jeno grins and kisses him in the cheek softly. “but i’d love a roommate.”

“good,” jeno salutes him. “all i have is this tux.”

“probably worth five grand,” jaemin says, eyeing it with a small smile on his lips.

jeno shrugs. “probably now that i’m the guy who walked out on his wedding being viewed by over a million people.”

“glad i could be one of those million.”

“glad you’re the only one out of those million who i’d like to spend the rest of my life with.”

“woah, woah. don’t propose yet. we haven’t even lived together.”

jeno rolls his eyes and kisses jaemin first instead of vice versa. he thinks it might be the red bull’s he downed earlier. or, maybe jaemin makes him feel so free that nerves turn to confidence. but, probably the red bull.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! i wrote this in an hour because i was in dire need of a break from the works i'm forcing myself to write hehe, but i hope you enjoyed!! comment/leave a kudos if you did. also i was so tempted to keep nomin apart but:)


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